On Monday (Nov. 2), Hillary Clinton made her way to the city of Chicago to meet with the many family members related to victims of the ongoing issue of gun violence with the mothers of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and many others in attendance.
Lesley McSpadden, mother of murdered Ferguson, Missouri teenager, Michael Brown, voiced her appreciation for Clinton’s sincerity during the private meeting. She called the encounter “intimate and powerful” in addition to Clinton being very much open-minded the entire time while speaking with everyone.
“She seemed genuinely passionate and enthusiastic about meeting us. Secretary Clinton sat at a table with ten mothers, and some of us had stories about the loss of a child to police brutality; others talked about losing a child to senseless gun violence in neighborhoods that have sometimes three or four murders a night,” McSpadden told People.
An aide for the Clinton camp went on the record to address the topic of gun violence while at the meeting by stating, “The epidemic of gun violence which demands common sense gun reforms and the sense of distrust that too often exists between law enforcement and the communities they serve.” The aide continued by expressing the focal point of Clinton’s Chicago visit. “Hillary and the family members discussed the need to deliver real reforms that can be felt on our streets and that can rebuild the bonds of trust in our communities.”
McSpadden went on to say how much it meant to her that Clinton set a tone of positivity throughout the meeting. “What will stay in my heart and mind is that she told us we can hold her to her word,” she said. “It meant a lot that she didn’t make the meeting sad. She didn’t make you go back and relive that day she was all about moving forward.”